Clothespin



Aug, 21, 192s. 1,681,461

W. R. BUTNER CLOTHESPIN Filed May 9, 1927 INVENTOR M//LL/AMF. @UT/VER ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES- 1,681,461 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM R. BUTNER, 0F YERINGTON, NEVADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE R. MAGEE, OF YERINGTON, NEVADA.

eLoTnEsPIN.

Application filed May 9,

'lhe present invention relates to improvements in clothes pins and its general object is to provide a clothes pin that may be cheaply manufactured, easily applied, and maintains a firm grip on the clothes suspended from a. line. It is particularly proposed to provide a clothes pin that will effectively clamp itself to a clothes line and to clothes suspended therefrom, whereby the clothes are firmly held against movement in the direction of the line. It is proposed to utilize for this purpose a clothes pin which produces a twist in the clothes suspended from the line, whereby the clothes are prevented from shifting.

It is further proposed to provide a clothes pin that'may be conveniently used in connection with different sizes of clothes lines, and will retain a 'firm grip on'a thin clothes line as well as on a heavy one.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 shows a perspective View of my clothes pin;

Figure 2 a side View thereof;

Figure 3 a side view of the clothes pin as it appears when used in connection with a clothes line and laundry suspended therefrom, with certain portions broken away; and

Figure 4 a section taken along line 4 -4 of Figure 3.

lVhile I have shown only the preferred form of the invention, I wish to have it understood that various changes or modifications may bc made within the scope of.

the claim hereto attached without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In its prefered form, my clothes pin 1 is preferably made of a single piece of wire turned into a coil 2 intermediate the length thereof, so as to form two legs 3 and 4i, the leg 1 being about twice the length of the leg 3, and being turned upon itself as shown at 6, to form two spaced strands 7, the extreme end of one of the strands being looped around the coil 2 as shown at 8 to prevent the coil from spreading.

The leg 3 is slightly longer than the leg 4 in its final form, and its extreme end is curved as shown at 9 to rest in an indenta- 1927. Serial No. 190,051.

legs are spread for sliding of the clothes line.y

The leg 3 is normally disposed between thetwo strands of the leg 4i, and the two legs are formed with registering bends 12 and 13 intermediate their length, these bends serving to receive the clothes line between the same. Below the bends 12 and 13 the two legs 3 and 4 present curved sections 1G arranged in such a manner that normally the curved section of the leg 3 enters the space between the curved sections of the leg f1 and exercises, under the iniiuence of the coil 2, clamping action upon a piece of laundry suspendedl from theV clothes line, by twisting the piece of laundry out of shape over a limited area thereof.

The leg 3 is preferably formed with a projecting section 17 by means of which it may be more easily manipulated for applying and removing the clothes pin.

The manner of using my invention is apparent from the foregoing description. After a piece of laundry shown at 18 in Figure 3 has been placed over the clothes line 19 in the manner illustrated, the extreme end of Y the clothes pinis placed on top of the clothes line and a piece of laundry suspended therefrom, so that upon downward pressure the clothes line wedges itself between the bend 6 of the leg Ltand the curved end 9 of the leg 3, and causes the two legs to separate. Further downward push causes the two legs to slide over the clothes line, and the laundry, until the clothes line finally is seated between the two bends 12 and 13 in the two legs. At this time the lower curved section 16 of the leg 3 is still within the confines of the curved sections 16 of the leg 4 and exercises a twisting action on the cloth which prevents shifting movement of the latter. It will be noted that the particular shape of the clothes pin causes the same to assume its natural clamping position relative to the clothes line whenever the latter is vanywhere near the bends 12 and 13, because the spring action of the loop 12 causes the pin to ride upward or downward as the case may be, for bringing the bends 12-and 13 into engagerounded end normally contacting with the other leg, said legs having registering bends intermediate their length for receiving a 'clothes line therebetween, said U-shaped leg having its free end fashioned into a loop for `receiving the coil and for preventing the coil from spreading, the loop engaging with the top of the coil, and the other leg having a projecting portion for facilitating the, removal of the clothes pin.

WILLIAM R. BUTNER. 

